For a Price
by wikelia
Summary: RTTE S3 Spoilers. "Alright, then. Tell me this. Who would pass up an opportunity to buy the best dragon trainer in the world?" A what-if for Last Auction Hero. T for Language. Oneshot.


**This was requested by summergirl404. I hope you like it! :)**

Astrid, as everyone knew, became frustrated easily. If her, her friends, and the dragons were all captured, obviously she would be irritated. Many people would be.

But Astrid wasn't _scared._ She had been captured before, when you were a viking and a dragon rider, it was an occupational hazard. Leaning against the wall, she watched Hiccup, who was deep in thought himself.

She wasn't scared. Astrid didn't get scared. Right now, she was just _angry._ She wanted to hit someone, or something, and let them know just how much she hated Viggo Grimborn. He was a loser and a liar and a...dragon-selling, dragon-hurting, dragon-hunting _maniac._ He was a half troll. A...a...she was running out of insults quickly.

And he was coming back now. All the teens turned to face him. She saw Hiccup's fist clench. "What do you want, Viggo?" he snarled, gripping the bars.

"I was just thinking," the man replied cryptically, "we are at an auction, and this is a chance for me to make some money."

Astrid stayed silent. Not only was Hiccup the best at banter and talking his way out of problems, but she didn't want to talk to Viggo. Despicable human being. Ha, she found another insult.

"Get to the point."

"Now, your Night Fury will sell for a good price, Hiccup. But I realized that I have something just as valuable."

Hiccup's glare hardened. "What's that?"

"You."

Astrid's head snapped up, not sure she heard right. She saw a flicker of fear in Hiccups's eyes, and then felt the same flicker in her gut. Gobber stepped forward with a scowl.

"What are ya playing at?"

"I doubt you are a valet," he chuckled, and the bubble of hate in her chest threatened to pop, "from Berk, perhaps?"

Gobber glared at him.

"No response? Alright, then. Tell me this. Who would pass up an opportunity to buy the best dragon trainer in the world?"

Her heart hammered. He was _joking._ Selling a human being? Like...like an animal, a...slave? She fixated her eyes on the man in front of the bars, and she walked over to Hiccup, slipping her hand in his and squeezing it tightly. She felt a faint squeeze in return.

"Only a fool would," Viggo continued, waving his hand, "everyone else would love to have dragons work for them, to _serve_ them. And I guess Hiccup is the perfect one for the job."

"Y-ya can't do that," Gobber said in a shaking voice, "ya can't _sell_ him. That's inhumane."

Next to him, Fishlegs and Ruffnut both nodded. A sense of dread was settling upon all of them, as the implications of Viggo's words sunk in. Snotlout, abandoning his Sir Ulgerthorpe act, said a few select words to Viggo that Astrid knew he would never say in front of his mother. The villain shook his head at him.

"Tsk, I think you need to watch your language, _Snotlout._ It will do you no good to say these things." He cleared his throat and turned to his guards. "Now, anyone tries anything and…" He looked at Astrid with a nasty smirk. "Slit the girl's throat."

Hiccup growled, actually _growled,_ and let go of her hand. Both Gobber and Astrid turned to him, alarmed, as Viggo unlocked the cage.

"Lad -"

"Hiccup -"

"Ya can't -"

"I won't let you!"

"If you would jus' listen -"

"Time's up," came Viggo's calm voice and he stepped inside, grabbing Hiccup's arm. Astrid's fists clenched and she stepped forward, but Tuffnut grabbed her shoulder. Next to her, she heard Heather muttering dark threats under her breath. Astrid broke free of Tuff's grip and she pulled on Hiccup's hand. He shook his head frantically at her as Viggo smiled in mock pity.

"Astrid, I'm _sure_ you will find someone else, a lovely young lady like yourself. That is, you would if I intended to let you go, which I don't."

"Viggo." Hiccup finally spoke up. "Don't - I'll - take me, sell me, and let them go."

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted furiously, her rage growing stronger. He winced at her tone, and she felt a wetness prickle at her eyes.

"No can do, Hiccup. Although if you come peacefully, I'll let your friends off easily. A quick, nice, death."

Hiccup rewarded him with a cold look that conveyed his answer perfectly. "No? Ah, well, not my loss." He became serious. "Let's go."

The bars shut and Astrid felt her stomach twisting in ways that shouldn't have been possible. Gobber ran forward and _banged_ the bars harshly with his hook. "Viggo! I'll kill you, ya little bastard!"

"If you must," his voice came, and then he pushed Hiccup round the corner. A moment before, Hiccup raised his head to look at her, and what she was fear. There was terror in his eyes, and in that moment, for the first time in her life, Astrid knew Hiccup was begging her to do something. To stop him from being sold. And in that same moment, she hated herself for not being able to comply, for not having a superhuman strength to break the cage and get him and then take her axe and lop Viggo's head off.

And that was her last glimpse of him before Viggo pushed him, and continued to taunt Gobber.

"But by the time you kill me, he'll be long gone."

And then Astrid allowed herself to be completely, totally, one hundred pecent, _terrified._

* * *

Why couldn't he be fearless, like Astrid?

He was a _viking._ He had to be strong at all times. Only the strong could belong. That was what he had grown up with.

But now he wasn't a person anymore. He was _property._ He was a _slave._ That much Viggo had made clear.

He didn't want to be weak. But when he had looked into Astrid's eyes, he couldn't help but plead for help. When they brought him in front of the auction, he felt queasy. Whoever would buy him - _buy him,_ as though he was a _thing_ \- would first experience his puke on their tunic.

And then he saw Toothless.

His best friend was chained up, with a muzzle and no chance of getting out. When he saw Hiccup, his eyes lit up for a split second before they narrowed into angry slits upon seeing his rider handcuffed and being led by Viggo on stage. The dragon struggled against the chains keeping him there, but to no avail.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the son of Stoick the Vast, the heir to the chiefdom of Berk, rider of a Night Fury, trainer and friend of dragons…"

The crowd tittered excitedly at the description. Hiccup was scared he would throw up right then and there. This was sickening.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!"

* * *

A day later, Astrid stepped into the clubroom, trying to find Heather when she saw Hiccup rummaging through a box. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his back, not missing the way he flinched. "Hey. Uh, you okay?"

He laughed humorlessly. "You guys can stop asking that every five seconds. I'm fine, just…"

"Just?" she probed, sitting down on the floor next to him.

"Disappointed in myself, I guess." He shrugged. "I lost _all_ of Berk's gold, and -"

"Are you serious?"

He looked up at her. "Huh?"

She breathed in deeply, not believing his words. "Hiccup, you were almost _sold_ yesterday to some creep with a hood, and _that's_ what you're concerned about!?"

He refused to meet her eyes. "Nothing happened, really."

Astrid was going to punch him and thought better of it. Instead, she put her hand on his chin and nudged him to look up at her. She hadn't had to do that in a while, but being considered property, even for a little while, tended to lower one's self esteem.

And then she lightly kissed his lips, reminding him that he _wasn't_ property, he was a _person,_ and that he was allowed to make mistakes. He grinned at her shyly.

"I'm so sorry you had to go though that," she murmured.

"It's alright," he reassured, cupping her face, "seeing you scream death threats at Viggo and Ryker was a pretty big makeup for everything."

There was still hurt in his voice. It had been a traumatizing experience. But he'd get through it, she would make sure of it.

No one hurt her dragon boy. And if they tried, they would regret it deeply.

She had discovered that she did, in fact, know many more insults.

 **I didn't really focus on the saving him part, because we already know how that went. Not my best work. Sorry.**


End file.
